This dinner really does tick all the boxes. It’s hearty and filling, quick enough for a midweek dinner, yet fancy enough for a special occasion. It’s also perfect to make all year round! Follow me…
Gnocchi with Chorizo
This recipe is built around the chorizo and celebrates all the gorgeous flavour it brings. We’re actually going to start the recipe by frying the chorizo and drawing out its oils. I like to start this in a cold pan – doing so helps tickle out the oils more efficiently. From there you can use the excess oil to fry the veg! The sauce is a simple combination of chicken stock and cream and is thickened up with some tomato paste and parmesan. The flavour enhancers in the recipe are the garlic, basil and a small amount of oregano. Loads of flavour also comes from the chorizo.
Cooking the gnocchi
I like to essentially parboil it. You don’t want to fully cook it because you want to finish it off in the sauce, just so it can soak in the sauce without overcooking. Giving the gnocchi a quick plunge in boiling water also removes a lot of starch, which in excess, will turn the sauce gloopy.
Sauce consistency
The sauce will thicken quite quickly, but you can use the leftover gnocchi water to thin it out as needed. This will help keep the sauce creamy without diluting the flavour too much. Process shots: fry chorizo then remove (photo 1), fry courgette, onion and garlic (photo 2), stir in tomato paste (photo 3), stir in stock, cream, parmesan and basil (photo 4), simmer then stir in tomatoes (photo 5), stir in gnocchi and chorizo (photo 6).
Do I have to add the veg?
I love the courgette because it bulks out the dish and takes on the flavours so beautifully. If you really don’t like it I’d sub with something like asparagus, or you could stir spinach through at the end. Or just leave any greens out of the recipe! The tomatoes are essential to balance the rich, spicy, salty flavours with a pop of sweetness.
How spicy is this dish?
It’s got a very gentle kick to it from the chorizo, but nothing overbearing at all.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Gnocchi doesn’t reheat overly well as it soaks in too much as it rests. As such, I’d definitely make it fresh!
Serving Creamy Chorizo Gnocchi
The sauce will thicken up quite quickly, but you can easily adjust by stirring in a splash of the leftover gnocchi water. I love serving up with some extra basil leaves. You could go in with some extra parmesan if you’d like to. Besides that, there’s nothing else needed! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy chorizo gnocchi shall we?!
How to make Creamy Chorizo Gnocchi (Full Recipe & Video)
For another delicious chorizo pasta recipe check out my Chicken and Chorizo Pasta! For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
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